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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Last year it was hard to be very thankful on Thanksgiving. My Mom died in September and Dad was fighting for his life at the Duke Medical Center's Neuorsciences ICU unit. My brothers and their spouses and Pete and I had been shuttling to Durham to be with Dad every chance we could get. I made the 4+-hour drive every Friday morning and left on Monday morning for four straight weeks.

Thanksgiving 2014 found my youngest brother, his wife, Pete and me in Durham at loose ends. The hospital cafeteria didn't appeal as we had eaten more than one too many meals there. A little research informed us Ruth Chris Steak House was open on Thanksgiving and we were fortunate to get a reservation. But it was a hollow kind of holiday affair overshadowed by fear and worry.

This year, while Dad's condition is not what you would wish for anyone, it is stable. And we were almost all together for Thanksgiving. Only my middle brother's youngest son, wife, and son could not join us from San Antonio. We spent the day in New Bern, North Carolina, where my middle brother and his wife live and where Dad's nursing home is located. We got to see him several times.

Visiting Dad on Thanksgiving morning 2015. This is four generations of Jennings:
Dad, my brothers, nephew, and three grand nephews and, finally, a niece; personal
collection

We had Thanksgiving dinner at the historic Harvey Mansion in a private room and I believe we all enjoyed it and each other's company. Quite an improvement over last year! So I am thankful.

Almost all together for Thanksgiving. We missed you Brad, Randi, and Zeke.
Personal collection

Saturday, November 28, 2015

We extensively renovated the middle section of our home in 2011 through 2013. Part of that project included modernizing a half bathroom, or powder room, near the family room and kitchen. About the time I was designing the room, Mom decided to sell their house. So I brought several much cherished items home with me, including a painting my very talented mother created, which hung for many years in the dining room of their home. I designed the powder room as a showcase for Mom's painting -- a room for heirlooms!

I actually designed this bathroom twice. The first time, a few years before the work actually started. I only got as far as a concept board, which illustrated my conceptual ideas, before losing interest or life got in the way. I can't really remember why the project never got off the ground.

Mood board with my original thoughts on designing the half bathroom;
personal collection

The wallpaper included maps of states. I still love it as it was so relevant for me. I LOVE maps and managed a team of research analysts who monitored the technology environment of state and local governments. But when I brought Mom's painting home I knew the design had to change.

Mom's painting was a copy of one her sister purchased when their family was stationed in Iran. Mom sure did love that painting. And so do I -- so much I designed a room around it. Different wallpaper, tile and granite were selected to match the colors of Mom's artwork.

Mom's painting prior to hanging; personal collection

The room also includes two silhouettes of my husband's parents and of him as a little boy. I just love them. The one of his parents was done while on vacation at Disney Land; so you never know from where that future heirloom will come.

Silhouettes of members of the Dagutis family; personal collection

Jeanne Byran Insalaco, author of Everyone Has a Story, challenged fellow geneabloggers to write about their family heirlooms during the month of November.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

After the bloody First Battle of Bull Run, or First Manassas, as the Confederates called it, things definitely slowed down for Daniel, John, Leroy and Samuel Jennings and the rest of the 19th Virginia Infantry Regiment. The soldiers settled near Centreville and spent the remainder of the summer training and on picket and guard duty.

By September the regiment was stationed at Fairfax courthouse. Picket duty on nearby hills allowed the men to see boats on the Potomac river, which separated Virginia from the Union capitol, the District of Columbia. After a rainy autumn in northern Virginia, the men were ordered to encamp for the winter at Centreville. They continued to train, had frequent inspections, and were assigned picket duty about every 20 days. They also hunted rabbit and, apparently, hogs.

The men of the 19th resumed building the earthen breastworks the regiment started during their earlier stay and fortified the high points. In a rare spirit of equality, slaves working on the fort, were paid the same as privates -- $11 a month -- though they were still slaves. The breastworks looked quite impressive as they included Quaker guns, or logs made to resemble canon.

The soldiers built one-room cabins large enough to house eight men, and they were considered excellent. I image much of the area's forest's were denuded between the breastworks, the cabins, and fuel to heat the cabins through winter.

Abandoned Confederate camp at Centreville, Virginia; photograph courtesy
of the Library of Congress

Disease spread through the camp between November 1861 and January 1862. Colonel Strange, who had taken over command of the regiment when General Cocke was assigned commander of Fifth Brigade, became ill and was unfit for duty for three months. Colonel Rust took over until 16 December, followed by Captain Mallory, who commanded until Colonel Strange's return. Disease was hard on the Jennings men as well.

Private Samuel Henry Jennings was hospitalized at the Fairfax courthouse suffering from varicocele, a swelling of the veins in the scrotum, or smallpox. (There are conflicting sources.) He was discharged from the army on 12 September 1861 by General Beauregard. He never returned to active duty. Private Leroy Powhatan Jennings was also sick with camp fever and was sent home to recover. He returned to the regiment by 1 January 1863.

Payday in October brought out the citizens of Centreville. They came with wagon loads of every kind of merchandise, including whiskey for a $1.50 a pint. Gambling was another popular way to lose a soldier's money. Visits by women were about the only thing that caused hundreds of dirty, drunk soldiers to turn into gentlemen. During one visit, the men of the 19th Virginia Infantry band played while the guards presented arms -- a regular show!

January and February 1862 were bitterly cold and wet. The men, who enlisted in the spring of 1861 signed up for one year. They received a re-enlistment incentives of $50 and a 30-day furlough, but only 140 men in the regiment agreed to remain, including Daniel, John and Leroy Jennings. Yet, a month later the regiment was back to full strength with many new recruits, including my great grandfather, Charles Edward Jennings.

They received orders on 7 Mary 1862 to "cook three days' rations." Men began loading baggage and the unit's wagons. They had no idea where they were headed but were likely ready for a change.

To be continued...________________Jennings, Charles E. (my great grandfather), Private, Co. H; enlisted 1 March 1862 at Amherst courthouse; Present until detailed 18 May 1863 to General Hospital in Lynchburg on surgeon's certificate; absent there through last roll August 1864.Jennings, Daniel R. (my first cousin three times removed), Corporal, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst Courthouse; age 20, farmer; Private to 4th Corporal by August 1863; 4 Corporal to 3rd Corporal by October 1863; 3rd Corporal to 2nd Corporal by February 1864; Present until wounded at Ganes Mill on 27 June 1862; returned, wounded in action at Gettysburg on 3 July 1863; sent to Lynchburg Hospital; absent, detailed on government work, dropped as non-commissioned officer from 16 April 1865. Surrendered at Appomattox, pension in 1910.Jennings, John T. (my great grand uncle), Private, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst Courthouse, age 23, farmer; present through last roll 31 December 1863.Jennings, Leroy P. (my first cousin three times removed), Corporal, Co. I; enlisted 29 April 1861 at Buffalo Springs; age 19, farmer; Private to 3rd Corporal by August 1863; 3rd Corporal to 2nd Corporal by October 1863; Present till wounded at Gaines Mill on 27 June 1862; returned; wounded in action and taken prisoner of war on 3 July 1863 at Gettysburg; gunshot in right lung; paroled at General Hospital West's Building in Baltimore on 25 September 1863; returned to duty by February 1864; through last roll August 1864.Jennings, Samuel H. (my first cousin three times removed), Private, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst courthouse; age 24, farmer; Present until discharged discharged on 12 September 1861 by order of General Beauregard, surgeon's certificate, listed disease was smallpox. Pension 1900.Mapping the 19th Virginia Infantry: 186119th Virginia Infantry: First Blood at ManassasA Lover, Not a Fighter

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Five of my Jennings ancestors served with the 19th Virginia Infantry regiment during the Civil War. Most of them mustered into the regiment in Charlottesville and ended the year in the regiment's winter camp in Centreville.

Movements of the 19th Virginia Infantry from Charlottesville through
First Battle of Manassas; created using Google Maps and Powerpoint

I'd like to share how I map the movements of a military unit. I'm not technical so I had to find a way that was easy yet produced nice maps and was informative. I think I have found such a method using Google Maps and any slideshow software. To learn how I did it, I hope you'll click over to Mapping Wars or Other Events.

_______________Jennings, Charles E. (my great grandfather), Private, Co. H; enlisted 1 March 1862 at Amherst courthouse; Present until detailed 18 May 1863 to General Hospital in Lynchburg on surgeon's certificate; absent there through last roll August 1864.Jennings, Daniel R. (my first cousin three times removed), Corporal, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst Courthouse; age 20, farmer; Private to 4th Corporal by August 1863; 4 Corporal to 3rd Corporal by October 1863; 3rd Corporal to 2nd Corporal by February 1864; Present until wounded at Ganes Mill on 27 June 1862; returned, wounded in action at Gettysburg on 3 July 1863; sent to Lynchburg Hospital; absent, detailed on government work, dropped as non-commissioned officer from 16 April 1865. Surrendered at Appomattox, pension in 1910.Jennings, John T. (my great grand uncle), Private, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst Courthouse, age 23, farmer; present through last roll 31 December 1863.Jennings, Leroy P. (my first cousin three times removed), Corporal, Co. I; enlisted 29 April 1861 at Buffalo Springs; age 19, farmer; Private to 3rd Corporal by August 1863; 3rd Corporal to 2nd Corporal by October 1863; Present till wounded at Gaines Mill on 27 June 1862; returned; wounded in action and taken prisoner of war on 3 July 1863 at Gettysburg; gunshot in right lung; paroled at General Hospital West's Building in Baltimore on 25 September 1863; returned to duty by February 1864; through last roll August 1864.Jennings, Samuel H. (my first cousin three times removed), Private, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst courthouse; age 24, farmer; Present until discharged discharged on 12 September 1861 by order of General Beauregard, surgeon's certificate, listed disease was smallpox. Pension 1900.19th Virginia Infantry: First Blood at ManassasA Lover, Not a Fighter

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

On 15 April 1861, the day President Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring an insurrection existed in the country and called up 75,000 men, two brothers, Daniel Rose and Samuel Henry Jennings, and their first cousin, John Thomas Jennings (my great grand uncle) left their farms in Amherst County, Virginia, and enlisted at the county courthouse. The Commonwealth of Virginia seceded from the United States two days later. The Jennings men were ordered to muster with Company H, 19th Virginia Infantry, in Charlottesville on 24 May 1861.

Two weeks later, nineteen-year-old Leroy Powhatan Jennings, a first cousin of the three Jennings' men who enlisted previously, left his father's farm in Amherst County, Virginia, and traveled to nearby Buffalo Springs to enlist in Company I, 19th Virginia Infantry regiment. He was told to muster in Charlottesville, 63 miles away, 29 May 1861. And so began the military service of four young men during the Civil War, which started a few weeks earlier in Fort Sumter, South Carolina. John Thomas Jennings' younger brother, Charles Edward Jennings, my great grandfather, would join Company H, known as the Southern Rights Guard, a year later.

The University of Virginia during the Civil War; photograph courtesy of
Encyclopedia Virginia

On the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Leroy Jennings joined about 83 other men as part of Company I, the Amherst Rifles. His cousins had been there about a week before he arrived. Like the Jennings men, most of their fellow soldiers from Amherst County were farmers. The authors of the 19th Virginia Infantry, part of the Virginia Regimental Series, compared the atmosphere in Charlottesville to an agricultural fair. There were "songs at night and patriotic speeches." Squads of soldiers in training drilled several hours a day and dress parades were held in the evening.

Near the end of June they were sent to northern Virginia. This appeared to be the initial testing ground of the entire regiment. The citizens of the north were clamoring for an early campaign against the Confederate capitol in Richmond. Politicians yielded to the pressure and sent General Irvin McDowell's untested Army of Northern Virginia south, planning to cut the railroad lines to Richmond. They stopped in Centreville, Virginia, after a grueling two-day march in hot, humid weather. Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard's Army of the Potomac was encamped at Manassas Junction. As the Union army grew near, he deployed his troops along the south banks of Bull Run. General Joseph E. Johnston, commanding the Confederal Army of the Shenandoah, arrived with significant reinforcements and took overall command of the rebel armies.

Federal forces advance at the First Battle of Bull Run; drawing which
appeared in The Washington Post

The First Battle of Bull Run, or First Manassas[1], started well for the Army of the Potomac, they advanced with the goal of turning the Confederate left flank and capture the railroad, but the Confederate line held and several Union guns were captured. When the entire Confederate line began to advance, the Union line crumbled and the uncontrollable retreat back to Centreville began.

The 19th Virginia Infantry was part of Cocke's Fifth Brigade. They sat in trenches throughout most of the battle protecting Lewis' Ford to the right of the heavy fighting. They received orders in early afternoon to reinforce soldiers at Henry House Hill to their left. When they arrived, the Union soldiers were in full retreat. The 19th Virginia Infantry pursued the enemy for about two miles before sundown. Prisoners were escorted to Manassas Junction while most of the regiment returned to Lewis' Ford. On the way, they went through the abandoned Union camp and picked up blankets, overcoats, oilcloths, haversacks, and muskets. From the regiment, one man had been killed, four wounded, and one was missing.

Remains of the Judith Henry house, which was damaged during the battle;
photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress

To be continued..._______________[1]There are different names for the same battle primarily because the Union side tended to name battles after nearby bodies of water while the Confederate side used town names.Jennings, Charles E. (my great grandfather), Private, Co. H; enlisted 1 March 1862 at Amherst courthouse; Present until detailed 18 May 1863 to General Hospital in Lynchburg on surgeon's certificate; absent there through last roll August 1864.Jennings, Daniel R. (my first cousin three times removed), Corporal, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst Courthouse; age 20, farmer; Private to 4th Corporal by August 1863; 4 Corporal to 3rd Corporal by October 1863; 3rd Corporal to 2nd Corporal by February 1864; Present until wounded at Ganes Mill on 27 June 1862; returned, wounded in action at Gettysburg on 3 July 1863; sent to Lynchburg Hospital; absent, detailed on government work, dropped as non-commissioned officer from 16 April 1865. Surrendered at Appomattox, pension in 1910.Jennings, John T. (my great grand uncle), Private, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst Courthouse, age 23, farmer; present through last roll 31 December 1863.Jennings, Leroy P. (my first cousin three times removed), Corporal, Co. I; enlisted 29 April 1861 at Buffalo Springs; age 19, farmer; Private to 3rd Corporal by August 1863; 3rd Corporal to 2nd Corporal by October 1863; Present till wounded at Gaines Mill on 27 June 1862; returned; wounded in action and taken prisoner of war on 3 July 1863 at Gettysburg; gunshot in right lung; paroled at General Hospital West's Building in Baltimore on 25 September 1863; returned to duty by February 1864; through last roll August 1864.Jennings, Samuel H. (my first cousin three times removed), Private, Co. H; enlisted 15 April 1861 at Amherst courthouse; age 24, farmer; Present until discharged discharged on 12 September 1861 by order of General Beauregard, surgeon's certificate, listed disease was smallpox. Pension 1900.A Lover, Not a Fighter

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Ancestor Name: William Archibald Strang (1906-1989)
I didn't even know I had relatives in New Zealand until a fourth cousin once removed introduced herself through Ancestry.com a few years ago. She's since become a great research collaborator and, if something exists on the Internet, she will find it. We have great fun when on the trail of an elusive shared ancestor. We forward each other our progress before signing off to go to bed and the other picks it up and keeps the ball moving forward while the other sleeps. She also guest blogs occasionally and is a great story teller. So it's only fitting to reprise this post in the wake of the New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup last month.

This post was originally published on 30 September 2013.

Thanks to a work colleague, who is from South Africa, I know how big a deal rugby is in some parts of the world. I discovered a few weeks ago when researching my Semple ancestors, who emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand in 1862, that I have a famous All Blacks captain in my extended family tree.

William Archibald "Archie" Strang; photograph courtesy of Ancestry.com
member KiwiAndrea

My South African friend had this to say:

As a kid growing up in South Africa the Springboks vs. All Blacks was, as far as we were concerned, the greatest rivalry in world sport. Those heros from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were spoken of with awe.

Archie Strang was a clever inside back, equally skilled at halfback or either five eighths position, who may have achieved even greater deeds in New Zealand rugby had he born in another era.

Strang was at his peak in the depression years of the early 30s. But as a stock agent in South Canterbury he often had trouble leaving his job and at the end of the 1931 season when he was still only 25 he retired to concentrate on his work having in those grim depression years being given an ultimatum by an employer for whom rugby had little interest.

A Southlander by birth, Strang moved with his family to Timaru while in his early teens and was an exceptional first XV player 1922-24 while at Timaru Boys High School. He had also played 1st XV rugby for Southland Boys High School in 1921.

He went straight into the South Canterbury representative side from school in 1925 and even as a youngster showed maturity and leadership quality. As a teenager he captained South Canterbury in his first season in a match against West Coast.

Strang in those seasons alternated between halfback and the five eighths, But it was as a five eigthhs that he gained a place in the South Island side for the 1927 interisland match which also doubled as a trial for the following year's tour to South Africa.

A top performance in that and the final trial won him a place in the touring party where his versatility proved to be an asset. He played in 14 of the 22 matches and with Frank Kilby injured for much of the tour filled in as a halfback on five occasions.

He played in the first two tests as a second five eighths and in the second match in the series drop kicked a goal with 10 minutes remaining to give the All Blacks a 7-6 win, their first test win on South African soil.

Despite this heroic contribution Strang was dropped for the final two tests. Because of work he was unavailable for the 1929 tour of Australia but proved he was still a national contender with a starring role for the South in that year's interisland match scoring a try, converting one and kicking four penalties for a personal tally of 17.

After captained a combined South Canterbury, Mid Canterbury and North Otago selection against the 1930 British tourist and scoring a try and a penalty in the 16-9 defeat he returned to the All Blacks for the final two tests.

Playing at first five, he kicked a conversion in the All Blacks' 15-10 third test win at Eden Park and in the 22-8 fourth test win at Athletic Park he scored a try and kicked two conversion. Strang's last test for the All Blacks was again at first five and as captain in the 1931 20-13 win over Australia at Eden Park.

Strang made the All Blacks from two South Canterbury clubs, High School Old Boys in 1928 and then Temuka in 1930. In the Temuka club's centenary book he is described glowingly as "a sound and heady first five eighths" and "a complete footballer."

His younger brother Jack represented South Canterbury as a forward in 1934-37 and played for the South Island in 1935. Archie Strang later became a prominent administrator on the South Canterbury union and for many years served international touring teams in any stay at Timaru as a liaison officer. He was also selector-coach for the Tauranga sub-union.

Haka!

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge optional theme Sporting._______________William Archibald "Archie" Strang was my third cousin twice removed. He was born on 18 October 1906 in Invercargill, New Zealand, to William and Sarah Mary Maud (Talbot) Strang. He married Rubina Bella Ford in 1931 and served with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Forces during World War II and died on 11 February 1989 Tauranga, New Zealand. He was interred at Pyes Pa Memorial Park in Tauranga.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

My maternal grandmother was an excellent seamstress. She kept her nine children in homemade clothes through much of their time growing up. Many of her daughters' dresses were made from the lining of seed bags Grandpa bought to feed the chickens, cows, and pigs. I find it amazing the fine embroidery, cutwork, and smocking stitching she could do with such large, hardworking hands.

Wilhelmina (Schalin) Lange, Grandma Lange, in the living room of their
farmhouse doing what she loved best, fine embroidery. Personal collection

My mother began sewing when she was just a young slip of a girl and made her first dress when she was nine years old. She had tailor-quality sewing skills and could make bound button holes and all types of difficult pockets. My kindergarten teacher had spent the previous summer in Scotland and came home with several bolts of beautiful tweeds and heathered wool fabrics. One day she commented on my lovely dresses and dotted Swiss pinafores. I told her my Mother made all my clothes. (She sewed practically all summer for a new school year.) Mrs. Huth asked my mother to make her suits from the fabric she brought back from Scotland. Mom made three suits and said until the day she died that her tailoring got me through kindergarten!

Mom taught me how to embroider during the summer of 1965 when my cousin's family left for Iran and I was feeling very lonely without my best playmate, Joyce. I worked on a large cross-stitch piece that took all summer to finish. It was amazingly sloppy at the bottom, where I started, but by the end of the summer my stitching was almost as good as Mom's.

Mom's cutwork pillowcases, which she embroidered when she was 12
years old; personal collection

Though Mom made a baby quilt for me with appliqué and embroidery, she really didn't start quilting until much later in life. Dad's Mom lived next door and began quilting. Dad made her a quilting frame she kept in her screen porch/sunroom and Mom decided to re-teach herself how to quilt. It would a good way to visit with her mother-in-law and the frame Dad made would get more use. Of course, she began with one of the most difficult patterns, Cathedral Windows.

Mom's Cathedral Window quilt, which I use from time to time in a guest
room with her cutwork pillowcases; personal collection

The second quilt I have is one Mom and I made. I did the cross-stitch panels of wild flowers and she did the quilt assembly and sewed the bed skirt in a coordinating fabric. This quilt was on my bed for much of my single life and then did duty in a guest bedroom in our two houses.

Our cross-stitch wildflower quilt in the guest room of the house in which
we lived from 1988-2004; personal collection

A guest bedroom in our current home right after we moved in 2004; personal
collection

All the furniture and the rug from this room were recently sold through Craig's List as we are getting ready to turn this room into a master bedroom walk-in closet. The quilt and bedskirt, however, have been saved. I'm hoping my nephew's wife will one day want them for my only (to date) grand niece when she is ready for a big girl bed. If she does not want the quilt, perhaps my youngest nephew and his wife will someday have a baby girl!

Jeanne Byran Insalaco, author of Everyone Has a Story, challenged fellow geneabloggers to write about their family heirlooms during the month of November.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Alafair "Fairie" Elizabeth Stevens was born on 21 Sept 1893 in Martin's Mill, Texas, to Anson Allen and Alafair Elizabeth Gibbens. She was one of seven children. Her father was a farmer born in Alabama and her mother had been born in Mississippi.

Mr. Stevens moved his family to Jacksonville, Texas, in 1906 after spending time in Florida and Washington State. They built a home in town about 300 feet southwest of the historical marker designating the town center. It was a two-story frame home with porches on three sides.

Four of their seven children attended the Alexander Collegiate Institute, including Fairie. She later graduated from the University of Texas and taught Latin and Spanish in Jacksonville High School.

According to another Jennings researcher, she married Leroy Carrington Jennings on 10 May 1923 in Tyler, Texas. Leroy was a grandson of Leroy P. Jennings.[1] After their marriage they made their home in Mineola, where Leroy's family had settled after moving to Texas from Virginia. When Leroy was discharged from the Navy he began dairy farming. They had one son in 1927.

Leroy died of pneumonia on 17 February 1931 at the age of 42. Faire continued to live on the farm in Mineola. No occupation was listed on the 1940 census for she or her son so they likely rented out the farm to be worked by someone else. Fairie returned to teaching sometime after her husband's death.

Her son served in the Navy during World War II and married in 1951. After he married he moved to Baytown, Texas, where he worked for Humble Oil and Refining. Eventually, Fairie joined her son's family in Baytown.

She died on 30 July 1981 at the Baytown Medical Center Hospital of broncho-pneumonia. She was 87 years old and had been a widow for 50 years. She and her husband, Leroy, were interred at Cedars Memorial Gardens in Mineola.

Mr. Gawne related Fairie was "the very essence of of the best of old Southern gentility, and also an unremitting feminist of that first wave of feminism that grew out of the progressive movement in the first decades of the 20th century."

One former student observed that the legacy of a teacher lives on in their students. Certainly, the wonderful legacy of Fairie (Stevens) Jennings lives on.

In yet another example of siblings marrying another set of siblings. Fairie's brother, Eldridge Gibbens Stevens married, Leroy's sister, Hilda Lillian Jennings._______________[1] I have written about Leroy P. Jennings (1841-1919) before. He was a first cousin of my great grandfather, Charles Edward Jennings (1832-1917):Three Brothers Married Three SistersGone to Texas

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Silas Ogden was a Civil War veteran from Amherst County, Virginia, who married Dollie Davis on 22 October 1872. They had ten children, eight girls and two boys, all lived to adulthood according to the 1910 census. Henry operated a farm in 1880 but by 1900 he had moved his family to Lynchburg and worked as a real estate agent. The family lived at 715 Withers Street in Lynchburg, an address which no longer exists. His wife died 1 July 1901. Per the Virginia Regimental Series, he died on 9 January 1905 in Bedford County. His headstone indicates he died on 18 January. Silas and Dollie were buried at the Ogden Family Cemetery in Amherst County.

Three of those eight Ogden sisters married Jennings men. How were those men related to each other? I think a diagram would explain it better than words:

Diagram illustrating the relationship between the Jennings men who
married the Ogden sisters

You may recall from previous posts about the descendants of John William Jennings, Jr., he was my great great grand uncle, an older brother of Powhatan Perrow Jennings, my great great grandfather.

Annie Hayden Ogden

Annie was born on 14 December 1874 in Amherst County. She moved to Lynchburg with her family and married Keith Parr Jennings there on 19 November 1903. After their marriage Annie returned to Amherst County, where her husband farmed. They had five known children:

Dollie Louise Jennings, born 23 August 1904; died 17 July 1905

Langhorne Ogden Jennings, born 1 September 1907; died 3 December 1987; married Mary Louise Williams

Keith Parr Jennings, Jr., born 31 October 1910; died 15 April 1974; married Mary Elizabeth Sandidge

Silas Osborne Jennings, born 24 April 1914; died 13 May 1993; married Mrytle Bruce Sizemore

Margaret Jennings, born 25 April 1914; died 9 October 2003; married Charles Davis North

Silas and Margaret were twins!

Keith died on 31 December 1931 in Amherst County. Annie, on 15 November 1952 in Lynchburg. Both were interred at the Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg.

Laura Bessie Ogden

Laura was born about 1877 and has proved to be something of a mystery as no one who has her in their public tree on Ancestry.com has found a record of her death, including me. She married Walter Richard Jennings, a farmer, on 26 December 1898 in Richmond and they had five known children:

Hollis Lee Jennings, born 23 November 1899; died 10 August 1984; married Elizabeth Denison Hawks

Dolly Dimple Jennings, born 17 February 1901; died 17 January 1952; married Raleigh Edward Templeton

Walter Richard Jennings, Jr., born 17 June 1903; died 7 April 1946; married Marjorie Josephine Houchens

Laura Bessie Jennings, born 4 August 1905; died 22 July 1999; married William Virgil Hall

Theda May Jennings, born 17 February 1907; died 12 January 1999; married Howard Montague Saunders

The last record of Laura I have been able to find is the 1900 census. She, her husband and oldest son lived in Forest, Virginia. Walter lived with his five children alone in 1910 and indicated he was a widower. So my working assumption is Laura died sometime between 1907 and 1910. Walter died on 26 June 1919 at a hospital in Lynchburg. He lived in Boonsboro at the time of his death. He was interred there but a cemetery was not listed on his death certificate.

Mary "Mamie" Louise Ogden

Mamie was born on 9 August 1885 in Amherst County and married James Wilson Jennings on 25 October 1911 at the College Hill Baptist Church in Lynchburg. Like the other Jennings husbands' of her sisters, James was a farmer. The couple raised seven children on the farm. Because two of the children may be living, I will not list them there.

From Amherst County Heritage Book; courtesy of Google Play

Mamie died on 12 October 1970 at Liberty House in Lynchburg. James died on 29 May 1978 at the Virginia Baptist home in Culpeper. Both were interred at Fort Hill Memorial Park in Lynchburg.

One of their daughters contributed a biographical sketch of the family, including this photograph for publication in the Amherst County Heritage Book published in 2000.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

I am a newbie to genealogy. I took over my father's research in late 2012 and freely admit most of my work is done online. I send away for offline vital records from many sources and obituaries from local libraries that offer them. I go "graving" to photograph ancestors' headstones and conduct research in local genealogy and history societies where my ancestors lived. I spend a lot of time in the Virginia Room of the Fairfax County Library. But when my initial Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) application was rejected by the National Society after being accepted by the local chapter, a very unusual occurrence I'm told. I had to learn a new skill.

My Revolutionary War patriot had already been accepted by DAR through his grandson Patterson Gilliam Jennings (c1824-1899). This was good news. If I could prove my lineage to Benjamin Jennings, I did not have to re-prove his military service.[1]

My lineage to Benjamin Jennings and the lineage already
accepted by DAR; created using Powerpoint

I submitted my source documents -- birth, marriage and relevant death certificates -- for the most recent three generations. Each birth and death certificate proving the linkage to the previous generation. For my great grandfather, Charles Edward Jennings, the linkage to his father, Powhatan, was his death certificate. For Powhatan's linkage to his father, I used a reference in a book. And that was the problem the National Society had with my application.

I was worried about how I would prove that John William Jennings, Sr., was Powhatan's father as Powhatan died two months before his father and I have not found a will for John, Sr. Land deeds I had retrieved from Amherst County were plentiful but silent on relationships.

So I reviewed the source documents I already had for Powhatan Perrow Jennings, and realized I had a Virginia, Selected Marriages, 1785-140, index record from Ancestry for his second marriage. It included his parents names. It also included a FHL Film Number. I learned how to order the microfilm and had it sent to my local Family History Center, which was not five miles from my house. Who knew!

Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940, index record from Ancestry.com

Powhatan Perrow Jennings and Elizabeth Rhodes marriage registration; image
courtesy of the Family History Center

When it arrived, I got a tutorial on the one microfilm reader that also scanned, and emailed the images to myself.[2] After I returned home, I created the proper source citation added the document to my tree and emailed a copy to DAR. Three weeks later my application was accepted. As of 5 November 2015 I am a member of that organization and look forward to joining my local chapter on various veteran-related volunteer projects.

Now that I know how to order microfilm from the Family History Center, I've become a regular at my local center and have attended a few meetings there when outside speakers are invited. So proving Powhatan Perrow Jennings' linkage to his father taught me yet another resource to use in my genealogy research. And that's a good thing!

Saturday, November 14, 2015

My middle brother and I liked to play in the corn crib on my maternal grandparents' farm. It's where Grandpa Lange stored the feed corn for his livestock. It had a wooden slide, which he used to unload the corn. As he shoveled corn through the door at the top of the slide, it would descend into the crib.
I don't know why my brother and I didn't think about the mice or even rats that had to be gorging themselves on that corn. I guess we had great faith in the farm's mousers -- the cats that lived in the barn!

One time as my brother went down the slide, he landed on something barely buried in the corn. We dug around a bit and saw what we thought was gold. Buried treasure! We ran to get Mom and Dad and they unearthed a very filthy stained glass and brass chandelier. Mom fell in love immediately and we took it home with us that evening.

She worked on cleaning it up for months. It was obviously quite old, made before the use of electricity was common because the gold on which my brother landed was really one of several brass gas jets. After Mom got it in a spotless condition, Dad wired it for electricity and bought a bulb for the interior. He hung it over the dining room table in our house in Arlington, Virginia, where we lived from 1958 to 1967.

Thanksgiving or Christmas at Mom and Dad's home in Vienna. You can see the
chandelier above the table. (I am seated at the far left.); personal collection

When we moved to Vienna, Virginia, the chandelier came with us and again hung in the dining room. One night, as we ate dinner in the dining room -- something we rarely did -- there was a knock on the door. The man was a stranger, who introduced himself as an antiques dealer. He was driving through our neighborhood and was attracted by Mom's chandelier. He asked to examine it. He spent a couple of hours doing various things to it and then thanked my parents. He said he believed with a high degree of confidence it was made by Tiffany. I can't remember the date range he posited. He also suggested Mom and Dad have it formally appraised and insured separately. Oh my we all thought!

The appraiser Mom called who came to see it to said the same thing. However, the chandelier is not signed, which apparently is unusual.

When they moved to North Carolina, in 1978, the chandelier, of course, came, too. It hung over their dining room table in both houses they built there. In 2013 Mom and Dad decided to move into an assisted living facility, the chandelier came home with me. It now graces our dining room.

The chandelier and table set for dinner guests last week;
personal collection

Jeanne Byran Insalaco, author of Everyone Has a Story, challenged fellow geneabloggers to write about their family heirlooms during the month of November.

15 November 2015 Update: After publishing this post, I decided to make a new attempt at discovering who manufactured this chandelier. As I looked at online photographs, I suspected it was not a Tiffany. I found an antique dealer, who specialized in Tiffanies, and contacted him through his online forum. After completing a form and submitting photographs of my chandelier, Mr. Dennis Tesdell, a private broker of Tiffany lamps, replied. He confirmed it was not a genuine Tiffany and that it was made "in the style of Tiffany" between 1900-1930 out of slag glass, a type of glass Tiffany did not use. This, of course, reduces its value significantly, but that did not matter as I had no intention of selling it._______________Heirlooms: The Olive Wood BibleMemories Are My Favorite Heirlooms

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The memorial will honor the sacrifice and dedication of the men and women who struggled for the freedom of our nation during the Revolutionary War. A bronze statue will be unveiled in a ceremony today on the Loudoun County Courthouse grounds. As part of the project, supporters could purchase a brick engraved with information about their patriot ancestor or a veteran they wished to memorialize.

I purchased two:

Benjamin Jennings (c1740-1815), my four times great grandfather, who served with the Virginia Militia from September through December 1776 and again with Morgan's Rifles from July 1777 through December 1778. During that time, he fought in the important Battles of Saratoga, which was a decisive victory over the British Army. I used Benjamin Jennings as my patriot ancestor on my DAR application because his military service was already proven.

Samuel Beard (1750-1814), my four times great grandfather, who served for two years with the 5th Virginia Regiment, beginning in February 1776. During that time he fought in the Battle of Brandywine. He was recalled to the Virginia Militia and sworn in as a captain on 23 September 1780. During this period of service, he fought in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. He has previously been used by someone joining DAR, but now his service must be re-proved as entry requirements are more stringent. I have recently completed that proof and will soon be submitting my paperwork to DAR so that Samuel Beard's service may be recognized.

My husband and I visited the Loudoun County court house Sunday to get a sneak peek at the memorial and photograph our bricks. No bricks were in evidence but the memorial is quite lovely.

New Revolutionary War memorial on the grounds of the Loudoun County court house in
Leesburg, Virginia; personal collection

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

After publishing the post on Sunday about the first soldier killed in action during the Civil War, I realized I had never searched for the decision the Supreme Court had rendered, which legally established the start and end dates of the Civil War. What I discovered was fascinating -- there were actually two official start and end dates for the Civil War and they varied by state. I certainly never learned that in school!

It turns out the case was decided on 29 January 1872 and was known as William A. Freeborn v. The Protector, J. C. Bell. I have no idea what the original case was about, but when it reached the Supreme Court, the point of law to be decided was about statutes of limitation. My assumption is one of the parties sued the other for damages that occurred during or just after the war. The other party claimed the suit was not brought in a timely fashion due to the statutes of limitation on war damages, which would have been based on the date of the end of the war.

Page 463 from Cases Argued and Decided in the Supreme Court of the UnitedStates, Book 20, by Charles L. Thompson

It came to the Supreme Court on appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Louisiana. Mr. F. S. Blount argued for J. C. Bell, the appellant, or the person who applies to a higher court for a reversal of a lower court ruling. His argument was simple. The end date of the Civil War had been established when Congress enacted legislation recognizing Presidential Proclamation 157. That proclamation set the official end date of the Civil War as 20 August 1866. Therefore, that was the date upon which any statute of limitations should based.

Page 464 from Cases Argued and Decided in the Supreme Court of theUnited States, Book 20, by Charles L. Thompson

Mr. P. Phillips argued for William A. Freeborn, the appellee, or the respondent in a case heard by a higher court. His argument was more complicated but the net result was peace existed in Alabama well before 20 August 1866 and therefore, the appellant did not proceed with his appeal in a timely fashion.

Page 465 from Cases Argued and Decided by the Supreme Court of theUnited States, Book 20, by Charles L. Thompson

Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase delivered the opinion of the court. In that opinion, two start dates and two end dates for the Civil War were cited. They were important because the statute of limitations clock was suspended in times of rebellion and began again when rebellion ended. Justice Chase based those dates on presidential proclamations. Chase granted the appellee's motion to dismiss the case because the appeal was not filed within the time allowed by the statute of limitations.

The case seemed like a pretty trivial case about commercial law, but it did legally establish the start and end dates for the Civil War in each state and so should be a critically important case to historians. And after reading this post, you can smugly refute most history books and websites which state the Civil War started on 12 April 1861 when the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter! Based on this Supreme Court case, President Lincoln and the United States were actually the belligerent parties who started the war.

20 December 1860: South Carolina seceded

9 January 1861: Mississippi seceded

10 January 1861: Florida seceded

11 January 1861: Alabama seceded

19 January 1861: Georgia seceded

26 January 1861: Louisiana seceded

1 February 1861: Texas seceded12 April 1861: Confederates open fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor

19 April 1861: President Lincoln issued Presidential Proclamation 81, which ordered the blockade of ports of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas

Presidential Proclamation 81 as signed by President Lincoln; image courtesy
of the RAAB Collection

27 April 1861: President Lincoln issued Presidential Proclamation 82, which extended the blockade to the ports of Virginia and North Carolina

6 May 1861: Arkansas seceded

20 May 1861: North Carolina seceded

8 June 1861: Tennessee seceded

After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox, several presidential proclamations were issued normalizing relations and commerce with the former Confederate states. However, two proclamations issued by President Andrew Johnson in 1866 were considered the formal end of the war by the Supreme Court in Freeborn v. The Protector:

2 April 1866: President Johnson issued Presidential Proclamation 153, which declared the insurrection in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Florida to be at an end.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

This post has nothing to do with a known ancestor but is rather about a Civil War trivia question I was able to answer to my own satisfaction.

It all started as I began photographing war memorials for Heather Wilkinson Rojo's Honor Roll project. Last year, I could not get a good photograph of one memorial marker on the grounds of the historic Fairfax County, Virginia, courthouse in Fairfax City because of the afternoon sun. So we went back a few weeks ago to photograph it.

Memorial commemorating the first casualty killed in action during the Civil War;
personal collection

This stone marks
the scene of the
opening conflict
of the War of
1861-1865, when
John Q. Marr,
Capt. of the Warrenton
Rifles, who was the
first soldier killed
in action, fell 800 ft.
S 46 degrees W of this
spot, June 1st, 1861.

Erected by Marr Camp, C.V.
June 1, 1904

John Quincy Marr in 1846; courtesy of Wikipedia

I struggled to believe the first casualty of the war did not occur for a month and half after the war started. That puzzlement sent me researching the timeline of the beginning of the war. Some important dates:

12 April 1861: Confederates open fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor

15 April 1861: President Lincoln declared an insurrection existed and called for 75,000 men

17 April 1861: Virginia Secession Convention voted to secede from the United States

19 April 1861: President Lincoln ordered the blockade of southern ports

23 May 1861: Virginia's ordinance of secession ratified by referendum

24 May 1861: Union Col. Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth killed by Marshall House Inn owner, James W. Jackson, in Alexandria, Virginia, after cutting down the Confederate flag flying from the inn

1 June 1861: Confederate Capt. John Quincy Marr killed in action during the Battle of Fairfax Court House, the first land engagement of the war

Fairfax Courthouse during the Civil War; photograph by Matthew Brady and
held by the National Archives and Records Administration; courtesy of
Wikipedia

It turned out "killed in action" was the key phrase as Col. Ellsworth was not killed during battle, but rather by an irate, avid secessionist.

Ellsworth was a good friend of President Lincoln, who ordered an honor guard to bring his body to the White House where it was laid in state in the East Room. The county seat of Pierce County, Wisconsin, was named Ellsworth in his honor.

Capt. Marr's body was returned to Warrenton and was buried in the Warrenton Cemetery after a ceremony in the clerk's yard before a large crowd of mourners.

Private Henry L. Wyatt of the 1st North Carolina Volunteers (later the 11th North Carolina Infantry) is thought by most historians to be the first enlisted man killed in action at the Battle of Big Bethel on 10 June 1861.

A Supreme Court decision after the war ended set the beginning date of the war as 19 April 1861, when President Lincoln ordered the blockading of Southern ports as blockading was long considered an act of war. Therefore, Lincoln is legally considered the belligerent who started the war.

The first Battle of Fort Sumter occurred on 11 April 1861. One Confederate soldier bled to death after being wounded by a misfiring cannon. Two Union soldiers died during the 47th shot of a 100-shot salute allowed by the Confederates after the fort surrendered. Since these deaths occurred before the official start of the war, they are not counted by historians.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

My aunt and uncle, Marvin Edward Jennings, Jr., and Rachel Mildred "Millie" (Lange) Jennings, were stationed in Iran for two years In 1965 through 1967. Mom was one of nine children so I had a lot of aunts and uncles, but Uncle Marvin and Aunt Millie were like a second set of parents to me. Uncle Marvin is my Dad's brother and Aunt Mille was my Mom's sister. Yes, two sisters married two brothers. They almost always lived nearby, in the same town or next door to my parents. They were an important part of my youth and there for every important milestone in my life.

We lost Aunt Millie in October 2009 and my Mom in 2014. Those losses left a hole in my heart which only special memories fill today.

But back to Uncle Marvin and Aunt Mille's time in Iran. Aunt Millie found a bookbinder in Tehran that did exceptionally fine work for reasonable prices. Mom sent many books to Iran to be bound in leather and have the pages gold-leafed. But one book Aunt Mille gave my mother is very different. It is a New Testament bound in leather and olive wood. It occupies an honored place in our family room where I can see it whenever I sit in my favorite spot on the sofa. Just looking at it brings back so many wonderful memories of Aunt Millie.

Friday, November 6, 2015

In late September my husband and I spent two weeks in New York near Albany -- he for work and me, well, I played. One day as I was exploring the countryside about 30 minutes south of our hotel, I happened upon two war memorials in the Town of Kinderhook, which is comprised of the Village of Kinderhook and the Village of Valatie.

Village of Kinderhook War Memorial
The war memorial in the Village of Kinderhook is located at the intersection of Broad and Hudson Streets.

War memorial in the Village of Kinderhook; courtesy of Wikipedia

The morning sun played absolute havoc with my desire to get a view of the entire space so I used one from Wikipedia.

In grateful recognition of their sacrifice and services. This tablet is erected by the citizens of the Village of Kinderhook

Village of Valatie War Memorials
The war memorials in Valatie are across the street from Martin H. Glynn High School on Church Street. When I arrived, one of the village employees was edging and sweeping the park. He wouldn't let me take a any photographs until the park was spotless!

Governor Martin H. Glynn Square; personal collection

World War I

World War I memorial; personal collection

Men of the Village of Valatie who proved their country's worth in the World War

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